If you've travelled to Singapore, chances are you've heard of, or even tried, the iconic Singapore Sling.
The signature drink of the luxury Raffles Hotel was invented in the hotel's historic Long Bar all the way back in 1915 by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon.
The cocktail — which is made using gin, cherry liqueur, Cointreau, Bénédictine, pineapple juice, lime juice, grenadine and Angostura bitters — has since become the national drink of Singapore.
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Tourists flock from all over the world to try the iconic drink, but it doesn't come cheap.
Ever thought Slug & Lettuce was a bit pricey? This alcoholic beverage will set you back $28 (£22) before taxes.
It begs the question, why are tourists willing to fork out so much for a gin-based cocktail?
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The answer lies in its history.
Following the turn of the century in colonial Singapore, Raffles' Long Bar was a popular gathering place for the community.
While men visiting the bar nursed glasses of gin or whisky, this wasn't the case for woman as drinking alcohol in public places was frowned upon. They would instead drink teas and fruit juices 'for the sake of modesty'.
Then came about the genius idea of bartender Ngiam Tong Boon — a cocktail that looked like plain fruit juice, but was infused with gin, grenadine and cherry liqueur.
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The drink's rosy colour gave it a 'feminine flair' which, alongside the use of clear alcohol, led people to think it was a socially acceptable drink for women.
And so, the Singapore Sling was born, a world-famous drink that continues to attract tourists to the Long Bar more than 100 years later.
The drink is so popular the bar sells roughly 1000 Singapore slings a day during peak holiday times, racking up a whopping $28,000 (£21,800) a day.
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But visitors are paying just as much for the historical and experience — which includes the rare act of littering — as much as a refreshing drink.
“There’s always a huge queue [at Long Bar] and we waited for 20 minutes,” one TikTok user said.
“Equally cult as the Singapore Sling are the peanuts on the table and it’s normal to throw the shells on the floor.
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“The drink itself is not worth $39 but the whole experience with the historic background is.”
Customers are encouraged throw to their peanut shells on the ground of the bar, a tradition that dates back to the 1900s, when the hotel was surrounded by nut plantations.
When plantation owners were on their plantations, they’d sweep the nutshells onto the floor — and the tradition has stuck to this day, enticing visitors from around the world to take a trip to Raffles and revel in its history.
Topics: Food and Drink
Bec Oakes